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Reel 7: March 29, 1954/Transcript
This is the official transcript for the episode which can also be accessed for free at'' patreon.com/withinthewires''Ok. Ok. I’m ok. Amy, could you see - Sorry. I’m sorry. I suppose I should say something, shouldn’t I? I suppose I should have said something this morning when I walked into the office and saw you sitting at your desk. I should have said something other than “good morning.” I should have acknowledged in some way the fact that the last time you came to work I made you listen to a bizarre recording and then leave without seeing or talking to me. I should probably have contacted you before this morning, in fact. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about that. I don’t always think of things at the right time. I don’t always think of things in the right order. So. Well. As you see, everything is fine. # # # I’m pretty sure everything is fine. I’m not being followed. I’m sure I’m not being followed. I’m almost sure I’m not being followed. Of course I’m not being followed, who would be following me? I don’t know what I was thinking - I must have had too much to drink. Yes, I should be more careful about that - you know Vivi isn’t drinking at the moment, obviously, so sometimes if I open a bottle of wine at dinner, I end up drinking the whole thing myself without noticing. That must be what happened. And then I probably saw something out of the corner of my eye, something normal, nothing to worry about. But I obviously did worry, and then because I was worried I drank even more, and became even more worried. But nothing was happening, nothing was wrong. The cat got into a catfight. With another cat. It’s fine. I’m sorry I drank your wine. I will, of course, replace it. Would you like the same wine again, or something different? Would you like something other than wine? Wine has become the default gift, I suppose, but I’m sure plenty of people would prefer something other than wine. Anyway. Everything is fine, and I’m sorry. About everything. # # # Amy, get in touch with Vishwathi Ramadoss. She should be in town by now and I’ve been trying to contact her but haven’t had any luck. I don’t know why she’s not getting back to me. Just keep trying and let me know when you’ve gotten hold of her - doesn’t matter what I’m doing, you can interrupt me. It’s important. I need a fixer. You know, to fix… ...things. # # # Amy, I want you to keep trying Vishwathi, but can you also courier an urgent letter to her Chicago office? It’s probably a waste of time, really, she’ll have got in touch before it gets to her, but I just want to be sure. Actually, hand deliver it yourself. Dear Vishwathi, I’m delighted you’re finally in town, and very much looking forward to one of our classic catch up sessions. I’ve been trying to get you on the phone all day, but wires seem to be getting crossed, so in case that keeps happening I thought I would write to you to make arrangements. Of course, by the time this reaches you we may already have spoken, in which case you can disregard this message, as I will have told you everything it contains in person. As you know, I have been working on securing the - No, strike that. I… No. The project I’ve… No. You know, of course, about the work I’ve been doing recently, and that my ambitions are at the mercy of the general assembly. I have been cautiously optimistic about receiving support for my Washington plan - especially as I know I can count on your backing. You hold significant sway within our government, and having the support of someone so respected has been of incalculable benefit even in the early stages of putting together my proposal. I believe I have mentioned to you in the past that I was worried about a possible conflict arising, in the form of a proposal being put forward by Karen Roberts. At first I felt sure this particular plan posed no threat - it is unfeasible in the extreme and will end in a lot of money being spent with very little benefit to society or to the government, and I assumed everyone would be able to see this clearly. I don’t even fully believe Karen’s plans are genuine - I believe it’s more likely that she’s trying to undermine my public works, because she knows I’m investigating her illegally manufactured weapons. I believe this project of hers is a front for something entirely different - I’m not sure what, but I believe it is something to do with a pan-European project that is already in place, and that is hiding some unscrupulous, even treasonous activities. I’ve enclosed schematics showing Roberts’ design for converting the incomplete Eccles Building into a warehouse of sorts. She included abstracts for each of the buildings she’s contracted to do work on, except this one. Look at document set B. These are schematics for various warehouses in Galveston, Texas City, and Beaumont owned by KR Development. These are the warehouses suspected of underground production of weapons. The Baton Rouge Uprising in 1948 included an entire militia carrying rifles and pistols made by the same company. The leader of that uprising, Laura Halstead, was a former warehouse supervisor for the plant in Beaumont. Notice the exact dimensions of these warehouses compared to her undetailed schematics for the Eccles Building. I say Roberts is moving in Washington to undermine us politically, but I think she’s also moving in Washington to gain the same kind of control. What I don’t have is hard evidence linking KR Development to weapons, nor a link between Karen and these militias. But, there’s truth in the saying ‘if money is a flower, war is its seed.’ Karen Roberts cannot be trusted, even though she has proved to be more persuasive than I’d expected. Several important officials are showing signs of siding with her, so having you as a high ranking member of the Societal Council, Secretary Ramadoss, could help stop this ship from listing. I know after Karen testified against you about the Vancouver Domestic Espionage case two years ago, you’re looking for any reason to bring her down. Also, the Vancouver journalists keep calling. They’re going to run with a story soon, but I have no documentation anywhere in my office about our transactions or data collecting. Are those documents in the other Chicago office? Please advise on how to proceed here. If the Council overwhelmingly backs Karen Roberts’ leadership, that could mean not only a mark on the North American Trade Office for incompetent work on a massive public project, but also - I strongly believe - a threat to security along our East Coast. Finally, there have been incidents recently - I don’t want to say too much here, better to tell you in person - but there have been incidents that have worried me. I have had reason to suspect I may be attacked. I don’t mean politically attacked, although - yes, I suppose I also have that to fear. But in addition to a professional, I don’t know, coup? I suppose coup is the right word? I have also been made afraid - no - uneasy for myself. For my person. I have also been made uneasy for myself and for my wife. And our cat. We have a cat, did I tell you we’d got a cat? I am counting on your support in this, as I know I can, but I also am in need of your council. I know it is years since you acted officially as my mentor, but I need a mentor now. I need a friend. I need a fixer. Yours, Michael. # # # I don’t understand. Amy - did you know about this? Did you know? Is this why you haven’t been telling me anything? Did you lie about not being able to reach Vishwathi? Because you did reach Vishwathi, and knew she wanted to betray me in person? Did you fucking know? You’ve all been plotting against me this entire time, haven’t you? You fucking witches. How dare you, how dare you - you sit out there at your desk, all prim, all professional, all ‘Yes, Mr Witten, Absolutely Mr Witten. Sir.’ Fuck you. You’re the worst of all, you see me every day, you know how much this job means to me, and how much good work I do to support a wounded civilization, how much effort I put into stopping violence. And you let me walk into that conference room to be ambushed, to be accused, to be humbled to the ground. To have Vishwathi and that henchwoman of hers pluck me apart, emotionless, like a child with a bug. She didn’t even seem vindictive, just curious what pain looked like. Pluck. Wings. Pluck. Legs. Let’s burn it with a magnifying glass to see if it catches fire. And then left to die in the dirt when they got tired of me. And you. Standing there watching it all. How dare you not even smile. At least then I could know for sure that you were in on it. You’re off meeting with her right now, aren’t you. I tried coming out to talk to you about this in person, but nope, you left with her. She’s telling you how to dispose of my body, I’m sure. God, I hope I only mean that figuratively. The look on her face. The look on Vishwathi’s face. I was sure right until she showed up that it would all be fine, that everything would be fixed. How could they not be, when I had Vishwathi Ramadoss, The Fixer, at my back? The way she looked at me. Like I was such an idiot. She was savouring every moment of my pain, my realization. What it must have looked like to see the truth dawn on me. # # # Tell me you weren’t involved. # # # It doesn’t matter what you say now, it doesn’t matter what anyone says. It’s clear I cannot trust anyone. It’s clear I should never have trusted anyone. # # # I’m finished. I don’t think I’ve even begun to process how finished I am. I was worried about being delayed, I was worried about my work coming to nothing, I was worried about my life, about my wife, about my cat, about… Do we even know what happened to poor Leena Mäkinen? She’s not returning my calls. I was worried for my safety. It didn’t occur to me to be worried about losing my job. # # # I see you’re back, Amy. And you left a box for me. I opened it up and to my delight, it was all of our data, all of our letters and contracts from Vancouver. You found them. I couldn’t even ask you where you found them. I was too overwhelmed with joy that they finally surfaced. At long last I can call back the journalists and tell them everything’s fine. But then I noticed something. I noticed that there were payments authorized for surveillance of merchants’ homes in Victoria. There were letters authorizing the use of physical intimidation of business owners who did not work well with Vishwathi Ramadoss. One letter from 1950 stuck out. Here let me read the line: “If they have a pet, don’t kill it but wound it. Wound it in a way that lets them know they’re being watched.” Vancouver was right, Amy. Vishwathi was using intimidation. It wasn’t just data collecting for making our shipping channels more efficient. At least that seemed to be the case. I looked down at the bottom of that letter, and I didn’t see the signature “Vishwathi Ramadoss.” No, no, Amy. I saw the signature of “Michael Witten.” There are real Vancouver documents, Amy, and these are not them. I would never have signed any of these letters or…. or funds transfer forms. Here’s a letter and a corresponding bank receipt to my account that amounts to paying the Vancouver city manager for confidential information on business leaders. Vishwathi made these documents appear like I took bribes, and bribed others. Of course I cannot rebut it, because you never found the real Vancouver files, which I am positive were used to create these forgeries. If that’s right, then I just need the originals. I would make them regret ever - Ah shit, what am I going to do? This is too big to recover from, no one will want me. What happens to disgraced bureaucrats? I don’t even know. Do they become teachers? Do they become pencil pushers in obscure corporations? What do they do? Do they go to prison? For this level of organized crime they do. How do I tell Vivi? # # # Vishwathi hasn’t fired me yet. And I haven’t fired you yet, so let’s carry on, Amy. Business as usual. What do you say? Take a letter to Vishwathi. You can hand it to her yourself. Ms. Ramadoss, I am writing to you to express my sincere regret that you found yourself unable to support my bid before the other counsellors. I cannot begin to imagine why you felt it necessary to keep your intentions to yourself all this time. Had I been aware that you opposed my project, I would of course had reconsidered my approach. Had I known you were in fact not only in support of Karen Roberts’ bid, but directly involved in it, I would have talked to you about some kind of collaboration or mutual support. Or I would have cautioned you against such a foolhardy alliance. I suppose it isn’t that foolhardy to you. You always did look for short term gain. So scapegoating will work for you for a couple of years. This will make you look clean, powerful. This will give you even more influence to wield. But you and I both know that this plan is empty. It will fall apart and you will be too much a part of it to jump ship cleanly. And I won’t be there to help clean up the mess. You have seen to that. I have always counted you as one of my most important advisors. As one of my most valued friends. You have untethered me, and I don’t know how I will find ground again. But you have untethered yourself too, and you can’t even see it. I dare say this is the last time we will communicate. I wish I could wish you well. Yours, Michael Witten PS: Go to hell. # # # Amy. I know it’ll be late by the time you get to this, but if you wouldn’t mind typing up one more letter before you leave for the day. To Karen Roberts. You know how to address it. Karen, I’m sure today was fun for you. I’m sure you’ve been looking forward to it for some time, and it must have been satisfying to see all your planning, all your machinations come to such dramatic fruition. You pulled quite the rug out from under my feet, and I didn’t see it coming at all. So, kudos, I suppose. You have so successfully upended my position within this office that I’m sure there is nothing I can do to affect yours. But I will be watching. I will see you fall, Karen, and I will see it with joy. Enjoy your moment of triumph. It is, after all, just a moment. Yours, Michael Witten. # # # I don’t know why I’m giving you these to send, Amy. You probably won’t even do it. You’re probably in league with them. I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know who else to ask. Amy, I --- Nevermind. Category:Transcripts